Quest for Glory: Letters from Willowsby Chapter 4
by Virgil Reese
Summary: "Leftover Brigand Salvage Really Ties The Room Together"


Quest for Glory: Letters from Willowsby

Chapter 4: Leftover Brigand Salvage Really Ties The Room Together

A month passed. I spent my time refining and running the restaurant throughout, entertaining the Inn by night, and training by day. Elle was an excellent archer and imparted much that registered into my brain within a short amount of time. I'll always love Ol' Hilde and the way that crossbow latches and fires, but there are other advantages to long bows as well. Both this elf, and the Dwarf, Jee, had been through war and told a story or 2. Sounded like violence on a scale that I'd be hard pressed to like, no matter how good at fighting I wind up. But it helped to put the positive and negatives of weaponry on a grand scale into perspective. Jee even showed me how to hold and swing an ax. At least to a degree. But I can do a bit more than chop wood with one now.

Elsa was a superb teacher, since I had already handled a sword and most basics I knew. I learned a few dirty tricks to use in battle she had picked up during the brigand days, once she was comfortable discussing it around me. The dirty tricks in no way compared to her prowess as a swordsman. I had never seen anyone fight that well, in addition to be none worse for the wear afterward. She was something else altogether. The feints, sidesteps, and offense techniques that stuck would wind up saving my life someday, as it turned out.

I also procured a lockpick set from Dieter. He, Crusher, and 'the Chief' would come by and eat sometime on evenings, just like a lot of the town did now. As it turned out, they were the local Thieves Guild, once I got to know them better. I bought a Guild License from them just to be safe, and didn't charge them as much, just to be safe. It either worked, or they weren't planning on pulling anything in my joint to begin with. I figured given how prosperous Spielburg has gotten, so close to the Cider Festival, they had their hands full with that and those unlicensed non-union cutpurses they called scabs (with a scowl everytime).

The festival, which is a week long, was but a couple days off, but earlycomers had been coming in droves over the past week. The Oakwynnes had every room occupied by now, but most fest-goers and vendors had set up shoppettes and camps across the Impromptu Fairgrounds, as they were known. This area was in the large fields, between The Healers house, and the Baron's castlegrounds. I had no idea how vast this stretch of land was until I visited Elsa for my first rounds of training. A cobblestone road stretched from the castle to the roadfork in front of Amelia Applebury's. A few wells and trees darted the landscape, as well as wildflowers here and there. I idly wondered if I could appropriate some of this land from the Baron, for grain and hops, and maybe brew Faustlager here too, as I took my walks to and from sparring sessions.

I was wandering around this field, observing the diverse amount of people and merchants. Some were in turbans, some donned more familiar garbs and seemed to be from the general surrounding areas. Others wore things I had never seen, even in books. Some were townsfolk I met over the past month. Taking in the scene, I heard a voice I recognized.

"Did you deliver all your mail, Mister Faust?"

"Not all of it...Zerisi." I said, glad to see Tim again.

"Well, I'm glad to hear my mail at least made it." He said, smiling as we shook hands. "Good to see you again."

"And you as well. Have you visited your cousin yet?"

"Not yet. Just got here this morning and thought I'd set up and go over my stock. Won't be too long before the festival starts, you know." Tim muttered as he was breaking down various herbs and such.

"Believe me, I know. My restaurant is packed every night now. And it was doing okay with just the Spielburg patrons before people started to show up for the fest."

"Wait? Restaurant?" he said looking up, inquisitively.

"Yeah. As it turns out, Sir Devon of Willowsby as he's known around these parts, went to Shapeir sometime after he was knighted by Baron von Spielburg. I had to put stakes down until I could figure out a way to Shapeir, as well as the means. I went with what I knew for the time being and figured the Cider Festival might be my best bet. I've got a map, but a caravan or some kind of travelling party might work better than going alone. I don't know. But his story didn't end here, that's for certain. Unless he fell off that flying carpet he and Shapeirians rode out of here on. But I doubt that." I explained.

"So what did happen around here Lunasa?" Tim asked, obviously intrigued by the news.

I told him Devon's story in full detail. By now, I had spoken to everyone in town, save the Baron and the Baronet. Each had their own take, but I was able to construct a more or less corroborating narrative when it came to the finer details, but the meat and potatoes always remained true to the prophecy he had fulfilled. By then, I had the prophecy memorized. As well as the Trigger spell, thanks to that hermit I found fishing by the lake one day; all he wanted was some rations and a few games of cribbage for it. I made it a point to get him a new net from Kaspar to replace his worn out one. This has been a most generous month to me. After I finished the story, Tim thought silently for a moment and turned back to me.

"That's quite a tale Lunasa. Your mother and Rolfie are coming to the festival, too, you know. They should be here tomorrow with the main caravan. Around noon, I believe. Most the town's coming, save for a few guards who volunteered to keep an eye on things, preferring not to travel."

"Haven't seen the old wagon convoy since I was still learning how to work on my penmanship." I said, recalling my family and the 2 or 3 times we went, before Spielburg Valley began having all those troubles that Devon eventually alleviated.

"We'd have contacted you, but Zara contacted me, via our mana and family connection, before even the Baron's courier arrived in town to give us news of the Cider Festival. Sent the whole damn place into a flurry of activity and preparation upon hearing it. I assured those close to you that you were okay."

"Didn't they ask how you knew this, what with it being before the courier arrived?" I asked, hoping he didn't compromise himself too much. He had that look on his face that seemed to read my mind; seeing the gears turn in my head.

"I just told them that my cousin lives here, and we occasionally message using carrier pigeon, when they asked. I mentioned that you were figuring out the Aidendale situation as ordered and had taken up employment to stay afloat while in Spielburg. Nothing more. Either way, they were all relieved. The Baron had even sent a parcel to the Aidendale family. His letter basically reassured them of their son's valor and heroism, and where he was headed off to next. The parcel also contained a painting the Baron had his court artist render, commemorating Devon's knighting ceremony, and a gold-leafed missive declaring him Hero of Spielburg. I haven't seen them so happy since you, Devon, and Rolfie were but wee lads. Colletta can be seen about town, past the limits of her garden, and she even goes into Faust Haus Inn with Devlar sometimes. The change is remarkable."

"I imagine so. All that stuff about Devon hit me like a ton of bricks when I first heard it. I still felt compelled to check around. You know, make sure they weren't goosing the newcomer in town. I can only wonder what Shapeir brings when I arrive." I said as I straightened out my pack and checked over my equipment. "I better get going Tim. Come by The Wagon Tale Inn tonight. Dinner's on me. I also have an extra footlocker in my room, if you want to store some items or valuables there for when you'll be away from your kiosk. Here's a spare key; room 1A. You can use the room while you're here, too. The landlords lost the key to the master bedroom the previous owners used, so I occupy that one as an office mainly, but it has a bed." I said, forking my spare key over.

"Thanks Lunasa. This'll come in pretty handy." Tim said, taking the key.

We shook hands and I departed. I had a few things to do before getting ready before the evening rush and a whole day to explore. I usually explore and gather herbs and other potion reagents, and some for keeping my spice rack stocked, on days I don't train.

I left the Impromptu Fairgrounds and found myself under The Healer's tree. I pulled out my map and read. I had since retrieved what sellable armor and such from the goblin cave a month before and made a nice little bit between the salvage haul and looting the bodies the next day. One weird thing I noticed was that the Armless Goblin wasn't amongst the bodies, except for the 2 severed arms mixed among the slaughter. I figured he wandered out of the cave that night and a healthier monster spotted him and finished him off. Goblin armor and weaponry isn't exactly in high demand, Kaspar explained, but after cleaning it off, it can be sold to smallfolk, human or otherwise. Made sense, actually. That in mind, maybe there's still something lingering around the old brigand fort. I followed the map there.

Along the way, I encounterd the most bizarre creature I had seen in person. Pictures I've seen, and descriptions I've been told, do not give an antwerp justice. Having seen the head in the Guildhall and remembering the stories, I figured they'd be bigger. And there was a 'they' involved here. There were just over a dozen small ones, each around the size of a dog. They just bounced around in the sunlight, their gelatinous, transparent pear shaped bodies, without a care in the world. They went about their business as I continued forward.

Arriving at the old Brigand Fort, I observed a perfect place for an ambush. I cast Calm as I went through, but after passing, it seemed it was unnecessary. A few birds stirred and flew off at my approach before casting, but seemed quite at peace before seeing me. I was alone. At least out here. The gateway to the fort was just as quiet. The remains of a gate lay in log-sections on the ground, looking like it had been battered by a ram from the outside. Burnmarks from small fires on the surrounding mountain and dried bloodstains on the tremendous log walls all bore mute testimony as to the fates of the brigand residents when the Baron's forces, led by The Baronet and the Baronessa brought a host of guards, raiding and dispatching any brigands who had managed to not make it out alive.

Passing through the gate provided even more mute testimony. In the open area, there were half broken ladders strewn about, some still leaning against the wooden wall that still held, flanking what once was a gateway. A small cargo wagon lay off to the side, rickety, but servicable. A chasm stretched across, with heavily charred stone walls that crept up past the floor alongside, as if it were once some big fire pit. Much blood had been spilt here, enough to discolor all of the pavement surrounding the chasm and the area around it. Curious, I peered down the chasm, seeing the blackened walls get consumed by shadows from below. I cast Light in a way that it would illuminate the inside of the chasm to get a better look.

This was more than a regular old firepit. It was a makeshift crematorium. The light shining, made the chasm sing its own sad story about the fate of its previous masters. Human bones, piled across the entire bottom of the chasm, which seemed to go down 30 feet before the bonepile. When the raid had concluded and what few brigands made it out alive, the guards must have dropped all the brigand carcasses down here and set them ablaze. What pieces of metal equipment that hadn't been in good enough shape to salvage was down there, though you wouldn't recognize it anymore. The heat of the mass cremation obviously was enough to soften some of it into weird looking solid, yet liquidlike shapes of burnt metal, useless to even to the most hard-up salvager, likely. I got back up and took a last glance at the macabre sight and began picking out timber pieces of the leftover gate. I found a couple that were intact and sturdy enough to make a bridge across the chasm. The bridge creaked slightly as I walked across, but held firm and true. There were several areas in this courtyard that seemed like there were once traps set, but now, all that remained were the chasm, and a smaller open hole in another area, large enough to put a deceiptful welcome-mat over. I found a door at the other end of the yard and went in.

An empty chow-hall lay before me. Large feasting tables spanned the room, with a long one going lengthwise with 3 chairs behind it, a small one with a smiley face, a large one that could seat someone (or something) very large, and a nice medium sized one, cushioned red with elaborate embroidery. The third one looked just right. I thought about it and the stories I heard of this place, before Devon dispelled Elsa. The small chair must belong to Yorick, the court jester whom I have yet to meet. The large one seems to fit Toro better than any of my chairs. The third bowl of porridge must then have been Elsa's. In the middle of the room, on the ground, sat a nice chandelier with candles strewn around and a rope tied atop it. I wondered if I could fit this in the wagon I saw. Thinking it over, I figured I'd have to leave the huge chair, but might be able to squeeze everything else, with room for smaller salvage, if there's anything left in this place. Looking around the dining hall, I noticed a bunch of stuff piled up in a corner. It seemed to be equipment stripped off of dead guards and brigands after the raid. The guards' mortal vessels being brought back to Spielburg for burial rites, and the brigands who had pestered them for so very long being unceremoniously immolated in the chasm to not attract carrion prey, as they itemized and returned the brigand loot to the rightful owners. Much of the armor was standard leather jerkins, but there were a couple of chainmails, disgarded by guards who were wounded and needed treatment en route, helms of the leather and metal variety, brigand spears and low grade swords, and a few decent castle swords. I'm guessing the guards either forgot about this stuff, or had gotten their fill , or just didn't care and needed it somewhere out of the way. I swapped my leather jerkin out for the best of the 2 chainmails and would sell the other to Kaspar. I proceeded forward.

The next room seemed well, weird. Weird as hell. Like something a gnome would design weird. It had a dizzying vertigo-like effect on the senses. Narrow paths, doors where they shouldn't be, and more chasms than earlier. A small dias was centered against the back wall, under writing on the wall that read 'Me' with an arrow pointing down. Nothing to salvage but more questions about the room's nature, really. Not being sure which door was correct, I cast Detect Magic. A door in the back to the right glowed. Before it, a bridge that looked like a door connected the path. Expecting an unsnared trap, I cast Trigger. Nothing. I checked the integrity of the "bridge". Everything checked out. Hoping I was right, I walked up and opened the door.

The next room was nearly empty. Just a giant desk in the middle and a few empty barrels. I was pretty sure this was the Brigand Captain/Elsa's old desk, and the main treasure hold. A trapdoor that led out to a cave was left open in a privy off to the right end of the room. I spotted a dagger on the floor and added it to my other shit. I rummaged through the desk, finding a few Spielburg mint silvers and a gold piece that I recognized as the Shapeir Sultanate's insignia (Tim loaned me a book that covered the basics of the different cultures across all of Gloriana when I was 12 to keep me occupied, having gotten grounded for something or another). It had 'Dinar Wahid' engraved right below the insignia. I kept it out of my purse and in my pocket for luck. I found nothing else, but couldn't shake the feeling there was something more to this desk. I cast Trigger and heard a click along the bottom of the desk, followed by the sound of something plopping onto the floor. A plop? I went to the front of the desk and found a leatherbound book with a symbol I didn't quite recognize, tastefully burned into the center. The same leather-burn motif surrounded the entire leather along the edges, in a viney pattern of stems and leaves. It obviously took a while to make. A red-strip of book-mark cloth hung off of it, a lonely tassel to prevent dog-earing the paper. Excitedly, I opened up the book, which bore no title, thinking it might be an archmagus's tome, or some adventurer's journal of long ago.

Nothing. A few pages of brigand supplies logged in, a muster role or 2, something that looked like a coded message, and then blank pages from there on in. I'm sure it'll come in handy, but this thing is pretty nice. I might check with Elsa first. She may want it, she may want to have nothing to do with it, I don't know. The coded message does seem intriguing enough. I'll check when I get back. For now, I have a bit of a haul to wheel back.

I loaded up the Smiling Chair, the Nice Red One, and the chandelier onto the wagon along with the mostly unused candles I found laying around, with my leather jerkin stuffed between the chairs. I checked the weight. So far, so good. I loaded up what salvagable armor and weapons that would fit amongst the rest. Now it was a little heavy, but pullable, given it was a smaller cart than the horse drawn kind. By now, it was midday, and I slowly trudged the load back to town.

Early afternoon, I came to the town gates, sore as hell, but still able. I parked the cart outside The Wagon Tale Inn and drank some water. The sheriff looked over at my haul, smiled and nodded. I nodded back and brought the chairs into the commons of the inn, followed by the chandelier. Sam came out of the kitchen as I was putting the stuff out of the way for the time being.

"Hey boss, need a hand with any of that?" Sam asked, wiping his hands off on a clean rag.

"No, I got it Sam. Wait, actually, go out to that cart and grab me a couple of spears and a shield..." I said, eyeing an empty spot on the wall. He went out and came back in with 2 brigand spears and shield.

"Right over here, boss?" asking toward the blank wall I was contemplating at.

"Yeah, perfect." Simultaneously answering him and my own question at the same time. I found the perfect spot. He leaned the equipment against the wall.

"All the prepwork's ready for tonight boss. We're ready to cook, whenever you are. All our accounts have delivered the evening's product and we're all settled up with them until after the Cider Festival's over. Speaking of which, the Baroness had a keg of cider sent over. She said something about a 'sneak preview' of the festival for tonight's dinner, since the party doesn't kick off until the day after tomorrow. That's it, in the corner right there. She said there wasn't a charge, and would compliment our cuisine nicely." Sam said, beaming at how things were shaping up.

"Well ain't that something. A girl after my own heart. Well, if it will compliment our cuisine, and we didn't pay anything for it, we'll give it to the diners complimentary. When I get back, I'll have you set it up. I'll be busy with setting this other stuff up until cooking time. You'll be in the kitchen first and I'll be in when I'm done. You know the whole routine. We got enough mutton for tonight? We've been getting to full seat capacity lately, what with the festival."

"More than enough sir. It's practically an entire sheep and then some. The coffee's done and keeping warm in the event of early birds." he said noddingly.

"Excellent. Go take a break and relax awhile. Just don't wander too far from the inn is all." I replied.

"I'm not even leaving the inn; I like it in here. I'll just have a coffee and a smoke. I'm in the middle of a book, actually, so I'll just be out here or in my room, most likely."

Our evening planned and daylight oil burning, I pulled the cart down to Kaspar's Dry Goods and went in. Kaspar and I haggled over the haul I had brought back, and found something agreeable to both. We shook hands and I continued down Market Street, and past Tavern Street into the cul-de-sac known informally as Craftsman Circle. In the middle of the circle was a smaller version of the same tree in Erana's Peace. At some point in the past year, Elsa told me, the Baron had commissioned Zara to plant a seedling of Erana's tree, if that were even possible. Zara found a way, imbuing the soil with fae magic to help it grow. The tree was about as tall as I am now. A normal tree would take nearly 5 years to grow that big, as well as establish itself well enough to produce fruit which this one was able to do. I helped myself to a fruit, revitalizing myself to its fullest in the process.

I spoke to the various tradesmen, as I made my roundabout errand. From the smithy, I bought some iron fittings, nails, brackets, and a small sturdy steel cleat. From the carpenter, 4 solid kegstand brackets (in Willowsby, I always just called them "the shoes"), and a thick plank of wood.

My errand done, I returned to the inn, hauling the wagon and its load inside. Sam and Elle were reading at a table, drinking coffee, enjoying the peace before the dinner rush. I wheeled over the wagon to the front corner of the room, next to the keg. Sam had gotten up by then and was coming over.

"Need anything boss? I've been done with my break. Didn't need long." he said approaching.

"Uhhh, yeah, go to the kitchen and fetch me the auger, a cork, and that keg-spout. They should be in a small wooden box in the cabinet, in fact, just grab the box altogether." I said, unloading the wagon, and arranging my hardware.

"Be right back, sir." he scampered back to the kitchen and returned with the box, "Here ya go!"

Once the cart was empty, I flipped it over and found it not level enough. I grabbed some pieces of firewood and shimmed the gap, leveling the plane out. I laid out 2 keg-shoes and straightened them so the concave arcs would catch the keg. Sam watched and learned as he was accustomed to by now. I explained to him how to augur the hole out, plug it with the cork until the spout was right nearby and swap the cork out for the spout in a rapid manner, to prevent a mess and loss of cider. I left him to do that while the barrel was still standing and told him to come let me know when he was done. I went to the kitchen and got all the fires going and had a smoke with some coffee. After a few minutes, Sam called me back out.

I checked his work. Not bad. I had to twist the spout a little, to prevent leakage and showed him how, making sure he and his hands had the proper feel for a tight fit. We hoisted the keg up onto the on-the-spot upside-down wagon-table and into the keg-shoes. I shook the 'table' by the keg a little, to be safe. Everything was fine. I told him to get started in the kitchen and I'd be right along. He went on to get the first course going. I grabbed a hammer out of my room (I had acquired a simple variety of hand tools for upkeep and improvements, by then from Kaspar) and nailed the steel cleat into place in the wall across the fire, room centered. I put the plank over a table and climbed up onto it, and nailed one of the o-ringed brackets in the center of the room. Running the chandelier rope through the bracket, I heaved the attractive chandelier up and tied the excess rope to the cleat. I put the candles in place and lit them, illuminating the room and bringing an extra charm to the commons. After, I nailed the iron fittings into the brigand shield and ran the spears through, hanging the simple arrangement in the spot I picked out. I catty-cornered the nice red chair nearby, opposite the keg table near the steel cleat, with the "heraldic arrangement" of crossed spears and shield in the middle of them. The Smiley-Faced-Chair found a spot near the fireplace, opposite the wood-pile.

Looking over everything, satisfied, I went into the kitchen to help Sam. Jee had returned by then and was chatting with Elle about which lands had the toughest goblins so far. I told them the cider-keg was ready, and compliments of Baroness Elsa, if they wanted some while waiting. They smiled thanking me and got up to sample the wares. I joined Sam as people were coming in and began my end of the cooking as Sam was reaching the tail end of his. As I got started, Sam began bringing out baskets of bread, bowls of saurkraut, and communal plates of saurus snitzel; our usual first course. Elsa had introduced me to the castle's dairy farmer, so now I had butter, cream, and cheeses in my arsenal. I went about the main course, popping my head out stealthily to get a headcount, and at the end had potatoes au gratin, grilled mutton, and a veggie dish. Looking it over, I was pretty sure I had enough. Sam came back to help me plate them, and we served up our guests. Many hadn't had the dish before, but upon tasting it, they were hooked. I was willing to let the first course remain the same, if anything because everyone kept asking. The entree on the other hand, I insisted changing up, to which there were no objections, many people asking for recipes to the otherwise unknown dish they had eaten. Between Tim's travels (learning different dishes along the way) and my mother (who was the best cook in Willowsby), I had a lot of recipes, and had quite a few of my own by then.

After Sam and I cleaned the cookware, he dished up and sat down with Elle, Jee, and Ali Chica. Most patrons were still eating. I mingled with the guests, checking up on them, introducing myself to new ones. Tim remarked that he hadn't had potatoes au gratin with mutton before, the former being something he taught me, and the latter one of my Mom's dishes. "Good call, Lunie." he said, and went back to his meal, likely his first good one that he didn't have to cook while traveling lately. His cousin was with him. Usually, I have Sam deliver her a meal, when she's in the mood for some that evening. Seeing her out of the shop is a rarity I was seeing for the first time. Not that I'd been in Spielburg terribly long, of course. I nodded to them and headed down the corridor.

I went to my room and transferred my footlocker contents into the one in the katta's former master bedroom, along with my pack, and the rest of the equipment. I changed into a clean shirt, and grabbed the mostly blank book I extracted from Elsa's old captain's desk from earlier and went back out to the guests. Most had finished up their meals, and were drinking cider, enjoying the merriment of the evening. I noticed Elsa in the corner, sitting on her old chair, drinking cider. She saw me and called me over.

"Been doing some redecorating, I see." she said grinning, as she took a swig of cider.

"Yes. I hope you don't mind." I smiled sheepishly, hoping none of the decor dredged up anything untoward. "If you want it back, it's yours. I just hated seeing a nice chair go to waste. Yorick's is here also, if he wants it. At least I would assume it was his. Toro's chair, I'll need help with, but he can keep it for his dinners here, so he can sit a little more comfortable. My chairs are to him what Yorick's are to me, sizewise."

"Actually I like this chair right where it is. You keep it. The castle has plenty of chairs. My old chair in this corner actually ties the room together." she replied, taking another sip. "I'll check with Yorick about his, but I'm pretty sure Toro will take you up on his chair. I'll let him know tonight. I'm sure he can give you a hand with it."

"I could use a hand lifting it, but I'm not sure that huge thing will fit in my wagon. Thanks for the wagon, too. I'm surprised that thing would still work after seeing the effects of that raid you and your brother led on the fortress."

"Honey, don't worry about the wagon. He's a minotaur. He can carry that chair to the moon if he wanted and still have a free hand to swing his mace." she said confidently, a credit to the strength of minotaurs.

"Sounds good. Thanks for checking with Toro about that, too. I had a question about something else I found there."

"If this is about the chasm in the courtyard, I can assure you, they were already dead before we set them ablaze." she said, possibly wondering if I thought the family and the guards were vengeful monsters.

"No, no, no, not at all," I reassured. I showed her the leatherbound book that was hidden in the desk. "It's this. Some of it looks like regular business notes for a well-organized brigand outfit, but the last page that's written on seems a little cryptic. Like code. The rest is just blank." I handed her the book, which she opened.

"Hmmm." She studied it for a moment, as if recalling something distant. "How did you get past Yorick's little maze, and find this in the desk?" asked Elsa.

"Magic. Detect on the door, and Trigger, on the desk."

"Well, you have good intuitions. The boring stuff is just some muster rolls and inventory logs. This, however..." she tapped at the coded page, "..is a set of directions."

"Directions? Like, as in marching orders to give to certain bandits?" I asked.

"No, no, more like map coordinates. To an area in the woods here where I buried some fairly unique items. I can't believe I forgot about this book!" Elsa exclaimed and swigged some more cider.

"Buried treasure?" This just keeps getting better, I thought. "But, why wasn't it collected in during the assault on the fortress?"

"The dispel potion must have affected certain parts of my memory when it took effect, and that 's why I forgot..." said Elsa, staring out trying to remember something that was forgotten along the way. She looked up, realizing I had asked a question, and continued, "Now I remember some of it. Before being dispelled by Devon, I recall suspecting a couple of my henchmen of conspiring against me. I buried the cache of items because the brigands had acquired them when I was very young, and I knew not who the rightful owners were anyhow, unlike much of the loot that was hoarded later in my life. When I began to first realize the plot, but not knowing who was in on it, I buried the items this coded note leads to, to keep them from them."

"And the henchmen? Were they killed in the raids?"

"I didn't even know their identities until Devon told me after all was said and done. He eavesdropped on them going over their plans. One, Brutus, was found dead outside the town walls at the archery target the day after Baba Yaga flew from this place. The other, Bruno, was spotted once by a patrol guard in the forest once a week later. He got away and hasn't been seen since. I suspect he left the valley for good. The guard who spotted him died of a poisoned dagger, but not before describing his assailant. Between that and the poisoned dagger, I knew exactly who the son of a bitch was."

"Damn. I knew brigands fought amongst each other, but I wasn't ready for inner-band political intrigues." I said, scratching my head out of habit.

"Indeed. Please keep the book. I'll take the coded page, though. I came up with that little code when I was a child, and if I go over some old writings of mine, I might be able to read it all again. Right now, I can't like I used to. Probably another side effect of the dispel potion."

I tore out the leaf with the code and closed up the book, handing it over to her.

"Thanks Elsa. This makes for a splendid adventure diary. Looks like everybody's hitting the trail." I said, noticing some patrons standing up and shaking hands with parting words.

"I look forward to reading the story someday, Lunasa. I'll send Toro over in the morning so you guys can get that chair he misses." she said, rising to her feet.

"Sounds like a plan, Elsa. You have a good night and pleasant dreams."

"Good night, Lunasa Faust. The same to you. Supper was great as always." She joined back up with Toro and they left the inn for the castle.

I saw Sam giving Olga and Karl a bag of leftover saurkraut and bread over at their table with a smile, and then going about collecting loose dishes and such. I went over to help him and we did our usual cleanup of things, a regular ritual for us now, and then gave him his share of pay. I decided to turn in early that night after wishing the remaining guests a good night, and reminding Sam to bar the door once everyone without a room there had departed.

Looking around the master bedroom I commandeered in the wake of the room being locked and the key lost, I was glad I could pick locks. This one was fairly simple, so it didn't take long to perform keyless entry. I glanced around more, having not the time to take it in at a relaxed pace before. The first time in here, I had just emptied the footlocker (of nothing more than a large looking cat-brush and a few loose coins labeled 'centime', which I put into a drawer in the armoire), and cleaned the room of loose cat hairs and other dust bunnies. My gazing at the room led to a nice painting of a katta belly-dancing in exotic purplish colored clothes. She looked to be very happy and at home in her dance.

I walked to the opposite end of the room and sat at the desk. Looking over my paperwork that I kept in the drawer, I made an entry into the ledger and considered the numbers. This restaurant thing was working out pretty good, so far, if the numbers were any key indicator. Checking the contents of the desk drawers, I found a book! I must have missed it in my haste, taking a utilitarian approach by generally using the desktop, paper, and quills, and then going back to more interesting affairs once the paperwork chore was done for then. Rifling through the pages, I found it was a Famous Adventurer's Correspondence School manual, much like the one I borrowed from Devon when we where both much younger. This one was different though. His dealt with adventuring around Germania, such as Willowsby, or Spielburg. This one covered Shapeir.

I dozed off to dreams of fighting Jackalmen and Bedouin Brigands on golden sands, under constellations I've never seen glitter before and watching Kattas bellydancing the rest of the night away.


End file.
